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Turning your back on football?

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It’s such a big part of my life that I don’t think I ever could turn my back on it. I’ve loved football ever since I can remember, playing it, watching it, talking about it, listening to other people talk about it.

It’s one topic that I can always talk to my family about, it’s something I can do separately when my missus needs her space a bit, I’ve made so many friends through football. Quite a few from this board.

The other day my mate who has a young bairn and trying to move house who I don’t see that often these days came down the pub with me to watch the game for a few hours. It’s a social thing and it brings people together.

I gave up Sunday League this year, I miss it. I’m enjoying doing some other stuff though. In all honesty I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted, wasn’t fit enough and was just going for a few pints. I imagine it’ll drag me back in before long. That might be in 9 years when I hit 40, I think over 40’s will be my golden years. Provided I can keep myself in decent nick :lol:
 
I’ll echo a few others on here.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s I loved football. I would play it whenever I could and would watch it as much as I could as well.
Then around 2010 I was playing for a masters team. I’d only been on the pitch about 15 minutes and figured out I didn’t enjoy it any more. Told the coach I was coming off and I’ve never played since. Chucked out the boots and shinpads a couple of months later.
These days I really don’t care about the game itself. Like others though I can’t give up on Sunderland. I’ve invested too much of myself into supporting them to do that. I watch for the score but even that doesn’t hit the highs it used to. Yes it’s nice if they win, disappointing if they don’t but a few minutes later it’s as if they never played.
Every time I return to the UK I make sure I get to a home game at the SOL and I get caught up in the whole match day experience but once it’s over it’s over. Back to the hotel and work out where to go for dinner. Usually it will be to my cousins place in Ryhope. Talk about the match with her husband then back to the hotel after a few beers.
So to answer the op, yes I probably have turned my back on football to a large degree.
 
FN-2187 said:
Do you know anyone who has just said, sod this and walked away from football.

They are sick of the way the game has gone, the money, the pretty much no chance of winning anything for your team. So much so that they just say fuck it. They don't talk about it, post about it, just live their lives as if football doesn't exist.

I haven't. I do know a couple of people who don't have any interest in football and have always been that way.
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Apart from talking bollocks on here and checking on the scores, I have. So not completely I suppose.

I couldn’t name a player.
 
Havnt turned my back as I’ll always love it but I don’t get the same buzz around a big game like I used to.

I honestly think people are sick of it as literally every game is on TV to some extent, if there was one live game a week you’d look forward to it a lot more.
 
I decided during Covid , that when the dust settled I would just go to grounds I hadn't been to , before they are sold off and turned into a Sainsbury's or a housing estate, original grounds that is, not new build flat pack soulless bowls in the middle of nowhere. That and a day on the piss in different towns. Went to Berwick yesterday, and so far this season been to Raith, Queen of the South, Cowdenbeath, Arbroath, Dunfermline, West Auckland, Stockton Town and Morpeth.

Have thoroughly enjoyed it so far, and no heartache involved, like when you watch your own team get beat.
 
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Reading these answers, I get the impression that a lot us are around my age (mid-40s) and have just reached a new stage in our lives. Time was, a weekend without going to the match was unimaginable. If I couldn’t get to Sunderland (and often I couldn’t because I was living away), I’d turn up somewhere and watch someone – might be the local big club, might be some random non-league, but it was footie.

Now, though, two things are different. First, family. I have more commitments to more people, and have to put them first. If my wife (no) is working on a Saturday, and our daughter (behave) has an invite to a birthday party (which feels like every damn Saturday at the moment), I have to do the driving. And I can’t really tell a 5yo that she’s coming to the match instead of dressing up like a Disney princess and pratting around with her friends.

Second, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen Sunderland win promotions, look like a competitive Premier League team, suffer awful relegations. Miraculous survivals, playoff heartbreaks, shock wins, embarrassing defeats, cup finals. Pointless pre-season tournaments in Korea, midweek trips to Oldham on the train in the snow. There’s only winning a major trophy or getting into Europe that would be new, and it wouldn’t be the same thrill now as it would have been when I was 20 because I’d struggle to persuade the Mrs that I should be buggering off to Kazakhstan for three days to watch a Europa League qualifier. You can’t keep doing the same thing every weekend for 20+ years and not find it a bit repetitive after a while.

So I’m stuck with the fact that, barring an absolute miracle, my favourite ever season will remain 95/96 (promotion, against the odds; Roker Park; time and money to get to more games than before, especially away; Euro ’96 at the end of the season; Mags blowing a 12-point lead). We’ll have better teams, play better football, we’ll never have Gareth Hall play for us again – but I’ll never have that precise combination. But, right now, there’s a daft teenager with a bit of spare beer money who is about to see his first SAFC promotion season. And 20 years later he’ll be remembering how that 2021/22 League 1 championship season was a bit special (and I’ll be telling him it can never top Grimsby away). That’s why the game survives.
 
Only really take notice of safc religiously.
There’s half a dozen other clubs dotted around Europe whose results I watch out for. MOTD gets watched if Im in. England gets watched during tournaments down the pub. I watch probably half a dozen PL games a season down the pub and they have to be six pointers or derbies at the top of the league with a lot at stake. CL KO games watched occasionally.
The last ten years or so I’ve watched more French league football than English on the telly but not PSG. This season for some reason I’ve hardly been watching it at all.

The predictability of PL football and the dislikeability of it’s protagonists both on and off the field is slowly poisoning the National game for mant long term enthusiasts. Arseholes hoying beer about isn’t helping either.
 
I become disillusioned with football about 5/6 year ago, not really sure what was the trigger point but I know I was sick of lining the pockets of multimillionaires who didn’t give a monkeys toss about the clubs or areas they represent. I had a season ticket for Seaham Red Star for 4 seasons, but work away at the mo. Northern League mightn’t be the best football in the world, but I love the crack at the grounds. I’m following us closely for the first time in a while, feels like we have an owner and back room that actually get the club and fans.
 
I pretty much have except for us for quite a long time now. Didn't watch a single game at the last world cup, stopped putting on a match on the radio for some background noise and checking scores out, really just interested in us and even tbh its first team only. Feel like I've seen it all before but better so can't get enthused. Even when we've been good since, or if we were again, wouldn't be like 98-01 (i mean compare the Norwich semi-final to the Man U on for example)
Actually thought a euro super-league happening might change all that. Pretty much every half-decent sized club could fancy their chances of a cup each year or one day being top dogs. How it used to be last century really.
 
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Like many others my interest is almost exclusively with SAFC.
I rarely watch the premier league these days and never watch MOTD.

England games mostly bore me to tears (last nights was a classic example) other than really meaningful tournament fixtures.

I can’t shake my love of the lads out of my system though even though I’ve lived through 50+ years of mainly poor fare. I still watch all the games (pre-season included) and the result determines my mood for the rest of the weekend.
 
Best footballyear recently was 2015/2016 Leicester City won the Premier league with Claudio Ranieri and a team of almost unknowns . Of course since then the vultures moved in and dissemble the squad buying at any cost . Exit.. Mahrez , McQuire, Kante and others to the tune of cheque book wavers .

This is turning people off the game and if anything, from this week its getting worse . The gap between the top so called big money clubs and the bottom of the Premier is growing . Demonstrated by the clubs promoted only to go down next year or year after.

Sadly this will continue until the Premier League gets a bloody grip and puts some financial constraint on spending. If not we will have Barcelona type of situations here in England .

Im happy watching Sunderland being built with the current set up. using young exciting prospects, . Every one seems to be buzzing about it

Its the way forward,
 
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